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Thursday, August 3, 2017

PREPPER: Six Ways To Obtain Food After It Hits The Fan

Regardless how well-prepared you are and how you assume a SHTF
scenario will unfold, food will still become a problem as time goes by.
If the crisis scenario is not a short-term one, you will have to learn
how to obtain food one way or another. Both Mother Nature and the
remaining traces of civilization have something to offer if you know
where to look for.Once you consume
all your stockpiled food, you will need to find ways to become truly
sustainable. You need to learn how to feed your family, full-time by
hunting, fishing gardening and so on. While the following methods are
not easy to follow, you still have the time to practice them now, when
things go your way. You will discover the challenges you would have to
face if you need to obtain food after the brown stuff hits the fan.

Six Methods To Obtain Food After SHTF:

Hunting

I
have to admit, I got tired how many times I’ve heard people say “I’ll
hunt for my own meat when it hits the fan”. All I have to respond to
that is “Good luck!”. Besides the fact that there would be a lot of
competition in the first months after SHTF, hunting is no walk in the
park. It requires time and patience, but most importantly, it requires a
lot of experience on the field.
Some people have a wrong approach
when it comes to obtain food through hunting. They go for large game
such as deer and bear, without knowing the amount of work required to
bring home such prey. Large game requires much more work compared to
small game. You need to know how to field dress the animal and how to
make the most out of it. There’s no point in hunting large game if you
can’t use it entirely.

Your
best bet would be to try and bag some waterfowl and other small game
like rabbits, raccoons and even squirrels. It might not seem much at
first, but if you manage to harvest enough ducks and geese and other
small animals, you will be able to sustain yourself.
Another thing
most people forget is that winters are often long and cold in some
parts of the country. If you live there or if you are forced to bug out
in such regions, you have to think long-term. Chances are you will get
snowed in and it will be difficult to obtain food without consuming a
good amount of fuel and other valuable resources. Think ahead and try to
stock up your pantry or freezer before winter comes. One deer alone or
bear can feed an entire family through winter. Elk or moose are great
targets because they will produce hundreds of pounds of meat.
No
matter how you look at it, learn about what game is available in your
region. Learn of the ways it behaves (when it feeds, sleeps, breeds,
etc.) and how to preserve the meat once you caught said animal. If you
want to obtain food through hunting, you need to practice as much as
possible and learn from the experts.

Fishing

Since
hunting is not for everyone, fishing might be the best next thing to
obtain food after SHTF. The good thing about this method is that you
don’t need any expensive gear to bring something home. Even more, you
will learn from your mistakes much faster and you have a much better
chance of re-adapting your methods to outsmart your prey, compared to
hunting. Fishing for food is not as complicated as some may want you to
believe. Although most people tend to overspend on fishing gear, I often
found that a simple setup like a basic rood and bait is all it takes to
put protein on the table.

To
obtain food through fishing you have to remember the golden rule, keep
things simple and use what works. The goal here is to put food in the
freezer and not to win a prize for the biggest catch. If you lack spoons
or in-line spinners, or any other type of fishing gear, learn to set
fish traps. These will never fail you as long as you follow the right
approach. It may require some time to get some fish, but I guarantee you
will catch something. This article will
show you how to use various “out of the ordinary” baits for a
successful catch. The best part about fishing is that you can do it all
year round, and it doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer.
Although ice fishing
requires different gear and covering various safety measures, it can
still be used as a goo method to obtain food after SHTF during the cold
season.

Foraging

In all my
hiking trips, rarely I leave the woods and fields without bringing
something back to camp. Like my ancestors, I like to try what Mother
Nature has to provide and I seize every opportunity to obtain food.
Since the dawn of time, human communities were divided into hunters and
gatherers. It is one of the behaviors that helped humans survive through
harsh time. That being said, if you’re not a good hunter, maybe you’re a
good gatherer. Nature could offer us a lot of food if we could only
stop for a second and look around us.
Everything
from wild berries to wild apples and grapes are yours for the taking if
you know where to look for them. Learn to harvest, acorns, walnuts and
beechnuts, just like your ancestors did. Obtaining food through foraging
is not complicated and you can just stick with easily identifiable
plants at first. Just like any other skill, this takes time to master. I
recommend stealing some knowledge from the more experienced foragers.
And
as an added bonus, besides edible plants, there are a multitude of
medicinal plants you could gather. Make sure you bring a field guide
with you, to make sure you don’t make any mistakes. As I always say,
when in doubt, leave it be!

Bartering

While
most people think that a bartering system is a thing of the past, there
are still many communities that are trading good and services for the
items they need. When it hits the fan, bartering could become
tomorrow’s reality. To handle it, you need to have the proper barter
items stockpiled if you want to survive. You could trade some of your
items to obtain food and other goods you need.
If you lack the
above skills that would help you obtain food when civilization
collapses, your best option would be to stockpile as many barter items
as you can. Once you manage to store all the items that will help you
survive during an emergency situation, it would be smart to stockpile
something extra that you can use for bartering.

After
all, bartering is the oldest form of commerce. We’ve all done it one
way or the other. Bartering was always part of our life. When we were
children, we used to swap lunch with our school buddies. We used to
trade baseball cards with our friends and so on. By doing all of that,
somehow we learned about supply and demand, value and negotiation and
some of us even ended up being successful salesmen.
In a long-term survival scenario, bartering will not be dependent on luck as it would be today. People will need various items to survive
and you don’t have to wait for that one person that has what you need.
Bartering is already making a comeback in various communities,
especially in the green-communities from around the world. It will
become a reality for Americans when the economy crashes. When that
happens you’d better be ready to trade!

Gardening

This
is another subject that is somehow misunderstood when it comes to
emergency preparedness. Not because it isn’t a good method to obtain
food, but because people think there’s not much to it. Like my good old
friend Rhonda keeps saying “after years of gardening, I still feel that I
have no idea what I’m doing”. And I couldn’t agree more, gardening is
hard and it takes experience and a grain of luck to succeed. If you
think that you could wake up tomorrow and start gardening to obtain food
and become self-sufficient, you are delusional.
Gardening takes
time, preparation and experience to fill a pantry to last over the
winter. Sure, you will learn for your mistakes, but that won’t do you
any good if your pantry is empty and your stomach is growling. A garden
can be as large or small as you like it. However, the bigger it is, the
more time and work it will require. The reward will all be worth it you
may say and you are right. However, you have no guarantee that you will
obtain a crop every season. Even more, you have to always think one step
ahead, to prevent rather than repair or reduce the damage. When your
garden is decimated by pests or wild animals, it will do you know good
searching online for solutions if there’s nothing left to save.

The
key to successful gardening is to grow crops that thrive in your area,
have large yields and store well. Even urban communities began to
develop large gardens to grow their own food. The examples in Venezuela
are unbeatable proof that even the roofs of building can be turn into
large gardens to obtain food. Some preppers are also relying on modern
methods to produce their foods, such as aquaponics or old ones such as permaculture.
It all depends on what works best for you and your family. You should
try your luck with one of those methods now, before it’s too late.

Scavenging

This
is a topic that I’ve been discussed with my friends and shared it with
my readers more than once. I truly believe that scavenging would become a
great method to procure food after SHTF. People believe that most
cities will be cannibalized by resources long before they manage to get
their hands on something of value. While this may or not be true for big
cities, things will be quite different for the smaller communities. Let
me put it this way; it all depends on the nature of the SHTF event and
the number of people that would survive.
For an entire city to be
stripped of resources, it would be required for a good percent of people
to survive. And in a world without laws, that’s highly improbable if
not impossible. Most people won’t make it back home. Sickness and fear
(stupidity) will claim a lot of lives long before the human factor comes
into play. After the looting and killing stops, those who survive will
be put to the test. They will have a hard time making it more than a few
months. Most probably, they are not preppers and lack the skills to
survive. They have no clue how to handle emergencies that would become a
threat for their physical integrity. People will die eventually, but
resources will still be available for the taking.
That
being said, they remaining ones will still become a threat for you and
your family. You would have to know how to handle every scavenging trip
and put your safety first. You will need to learn how to move
undetected, learn the behavior patterns of the remaining people and do a
lot of recon before you go for the grabbing. Never go alone and have
someone watch your back if possible.

My 2 cents

Being able
to obtain food after SHTF is certainly no easy task. It will most
probably become your main occupation during most disaster scenarios. You
will have to face a lot of competition if you live in a densely
populated area. Mastering all the above skills is only possible for
certain type of people. Few “city folks “will be able to obtain food
after it hits the fan. Long-term survival depends on how well you manage
to become self-sufficient in the shortest amount of time. Being able to
obtain food without grocery shopping makes you a provider. This
lifestyle requires time and hard work, and it isn’t for everyone.

I was reviewing his list of habits and was struck by how many of them
directly apply to preparedness and survival, from everyday emergencies
to worst case scenarios. Here are 6 of Covey’s habits and how they apply
to prepping.

1. Be Proactive

To be frank, none of us have all the time in the world to get
prepped. Even folks on vacation have to be concerned about sudden
emergencies like this recent event
in North Carolina. Even small emergencies catch most people unaware,
and even fewer people are ready for the truly big crises that life has
to offer.
It’s not enough to just know about impending catastrophes, such as a worldwide depression or the possibility of an EMP,
and neither is it enough to spend hours researching survival topics. If
you and your family are to survive and thrive well beyond any crisis,
it requires being proactive right now, today. Steven Covey was right to
have this as his first Habit.

2. Begin with the end in mind

What do you want your family and home to look like following a major
catastrophe? Do you want to have enough food, water, medicines, and
supplies to last at least six months? A year? Do you want to have cash, gold, and silver cached in case of a banking collapse? Do you want to be strong, healthy, and fit, able to do plenty of physical laborand take
care of the family? Do you want your home to be the one in the
neighborhood that survives because it is surrounded by sandbags that
protect it from flood waters?
Develop an actual picture in your mind of what your optimal survival scenario will look like:

Who will be with you?

How will you all arrive at that destination?

How will you make sure that your survival situation is secure?

What will you have in terms of gear and supplies?

How will tasks be delegated?

What will a typical day and night be for the duration of this scenario?

With a crystal clear picture in mind, you can then set goals in order
to achieve it. Without that clear goal in mind, you’re taking a gamble
on something where every day counts.

3. Put first things first

The basics of survival are water, food, shelter, and warmth. Wherever you live right now is where you must begin.
That off-the-grid survival retreat may or may not become a reality (and
may or may not be desirable – but that’s the subject of a different
article), so don’t put off becoming as prepared as you possibly can be
right were you are today. Fully cover the basics first.

4. Effective preppers think win-win

Too often, survival minded people circle the wagons and include only
their immediate family and, maybe, their very closest friends. But
history has shown repeatedly that it’s groups of people who do
best when it comes to survival. Neighborhoods and towns who band
together following a tornado, for example, recover more quickly than
someone trying to do everything on his or her own.
Look for ways to connect with others in your survival plans. No, you shouldn’t tell anyone everything,
but sharing ideas, strategies and being supportive of others will
increase the chances of your own survival, and that’s smart. If the
people surrounding you also have plans and supplies for survival, it’s a
win-win for everyone.
How to find those people? Well, as author Jim Cobb says, “Go places where preppers tend to hang out.” Gardening classes, prepper Meet-Ups, fishing and hunting clubs, and so on.

5. Seek first to understand, and then be understood

Not everyone has the same level of concern for survival as you. Some
relatives and friends may even seem hostile when you mention food
storage and being prepared for emergencies / disaster. Normalcy bias
is the default setting for nearly everybody, and since our brains are
already wired for that response, it’s no wonder that so many people
cringe when “prepping” is mentioned.
There are many reasons why people are oblivious
to impending dangers from health issues to hurricanes. Rather than try
to force someone to change their mind, spend time listening and asking
questions. You may discover that the reason they don’t want to hear
about preparedness is because they are frozen with fear and your
lectures force them even further into a fear-filled corner.

6. Sharpen the saw

It takes far more effort to cut down a tree with a dull saw than a
sharp one. You’ll be able to set clearer goals, stay focused, and
accomplish more when you take care of yourself mentally, physically,
emotionally, and spiritually.
Always remember that you are a pivotal factor in the survival of your loved ones. When you don’t take care of yourself, they become more vulnerable. Who will protect them if you can’t or are untrained or unfit to do so?
Find time to decompress. Read a book just for entertainment, pray,
get into a regular exercise routine, do some of the things you know you
should do, but don’t. In a crisis, you’ll need to be prepared in every
way to respond quickly, decisively, and with authority. That won’t
happen sitting in front of a video game, regardless of what level you’re
on in League of Legends.

35 Post-SHTF Career Choices

During the immediate aftermath of a SHTF
disaster, the panic and carnage which emerges will leave most survivors
hunkered down at the prepper retreat or any temporary place they feel at
least somewhat safe.
Eventually, the post-SHTF reconstruction phase will begin. This is
America, the strong will survive and rebuilt. Advanced degrees will be
as useless and paper money – unless the college education involved a
still essential skill, such a medical or engineering training. Hands-on
and off grid survival skills will once again be in high demand.
In a bartering
or post-SHTF currency society, we will need to once again be able to
use our hands and bodies as well as our minds to make a living. Preppers
should be stockpiling not only water, shelf-stable food, and ammo to
ensure readiness for a doomsday disaster, but useful knowledge and
skills as well.
If a “career” was useful and lucrative during the 1800s, it will be
again after the SHTF. You will not be able to simply “Google” something
or watch a YouTube video to learn how to complete a survival project.
Taking a hands-on training course now and perfecting a hobby or
homesteading skill will not only enhance your chances of survival, it
will allow you and your loved ones to thrive after disaster strikes!Top 35 Post-SHTF Career Choices and Survival Skills

Doctors, Nurses, EMTs, Veterinarians

Anyone with some type of medical training will be assured a valued
place in a post-apocalyptic society. Diseases will spread even more
rapidly during a power grid down or equally substantial SHTF scenario.
Even a common cold could become deadly when you can’t call 911. Taking
some first responders courses or advanced first aid training will give
at least a modicum of skills for which to barter when a TEOTWAWKI
disaster happens.

Apothecary

Learning how to grow your own pharmacy and how to make natural
remedies will turn you into a post-SHTF pharmacist. Begin making and
properly preserving natural remedy ingredients now and stockpiling glass
bottles and containers to house the items you will be bartering or
selling during the doomsday disaster reconstruction phase. Print
multiple copies of all your remedy recipes and leaf/plant/bark/herb,
etc. identifying photos – making sure to store them in a portable
fireproof safe to protect them.
Manual and inexpensive capsule makers should be added to your preps, along with varying sizes of the gel caps
to ensure the proper dosage can be administered to both children and
adults. A clever apothecary operator will also learn how to treat animal
ailments naturally and work in conjunction with the veterinarian or
pseudo vet – a seasoned farmer/rancher. The loss of livestock,
especially if an epidemic like avian flu or swine flu breaks out, could
thwart a community’s ability to survive.

Blacksmith

There will be no more running to a big box store to get what you
need. Horses will once again primary mode of transportation – increasing
the need for at least one blacksmith in every community. In addition to
merely making horse shoes, a blacksmith forges metals for weapons and
tool making, makes and repairs farm equipment, and can work efficiently
and skillfully with steel and wrought iron to make wagon wheels, sturdy
doors and gates.

Farmers/Ranchers

Although it still baffles me, not everyone grows at least some of
their own food. Rural areas will be far better off after the SHTF when
it comes to maintaining a sustainable food supply, but unfortunately
some Americans have become too reliant upon modern machinery, tools, and
commercially produced fertilizers/insecticides to be able to
immediately maintain their current levels of crop production.
Learning how to grow and raise your own food the old-fashioned way,
including the breeding and birthing of livestock, could make you a king
or queen in a post-SHTF world. Begin learning how to farm/ranch the way
the Amish do, there is at least one Amish community in nearly every
state. Most Amish farmers are willing to share their knowledge for a
price, and sell their equipment. Amish auctions, particularly the ones
in Ohio Amish Country (Mount Hope Auction) and in Pennsylvania Amish
County, are a must visit for all preppers who want to acquire
horse-powered and manual farming and ranching tools and equipment.

Engineers

SHTF survivors with engineering degrees or skills will easily be able
to not only barter their services but play a substantial role in the
rebuilding of their community. Their scientific knowledge will be put to
good use when it comes to designing and building off grid utility and
transportation systems. Creating power sources using solar, water, wind,
and steam-powered machines will help reestablish essential services to
the community.

Mechanics

The engineer will only be able to get so far without the aid of
quality mechanics. Keeping farm machinery running will be a top priority
for not just the farmer or rancher, but for the entire community which
depends upon the crops, livestock, and hay produced on their property.
Once again, modern technology has made mechanics dependent upon
high-tech gadgets and power tools. Mechanics and preppers inclined to
enhance their survival skills in this area, should go old school and
learn (or re-learn) how to make repairs using manual tools and how to
work on antiquated equipment, like old tractors, wagons, etc. to
position themselves as a true post-SHTF mechanic.

Butcher

Meat will not be coming from the grocery store after a doomsday
disaster. How to butcher and preserve beef, fish, and poultry will be an
invaluable skill. An apocalyptic butcher must know how to slaughter an
animal using low-tech tools, how to dress the animals to minimize waste –
to ensure the essential protein will go as far as possible.

Carpenter

The safe maintenance and repair of homes, barns, fences, as well as
the building of new structures will be an ongoing need after the SHTF.
Retrofitting existing homes and buildings to they can utilize utilize
alternative energy systems for heating, cooking, and water distribution
will require a coordinated effort between carpenters and engineers.
Designing defense barriers will also mandate the use of both carpentry
and masonry skills.

Masons

Skilled tradesman (and women) will be in high demand after the SHTF
reconstruction phase begin and until the lights come back on – if they
ever do. The stone and brick layers will wield their trowels, mallets,
and chisels to build not just barrier and repair barrier and structure
walls, but to build secure living quarters and fireplaces in homes so
the residents can stay warm during the winter, boil water, and cook
food.

Farrier

Once the blacksmith makes the horseshoes, a farrier will be needed to
fit and secure the hoof-protectors on one of the most valuable
possessions a disaster survivor will own – his/her horse. Horses, when
ridden or driven on a daily basis, will need to be shod ever six to
eight weeks – sooner if the strenuous farm work cause a horse to throw a
shoe – which is not uncommon. Road riding, traveling over pavement on
horses, will also cause added wear and tear on shoes which would last a
lot longer if the horse was merely hitting the trails for pleasure
riding. A quality farrier can also float a horse’s teeth to prevent or
repair tooth and gum issues which can prevent the horse from eating or
drinking properly, leading to death.

HAM Radio Operators

Information is power, that old adage will still ring through in a
post-SHTF society. A chain of operators in various communities can serve
as a warning system about approaching bad weather, disease, or
marauding hordes – and call for help when communities and neighbors make
a pact to band together in times of need.

Firefighters

Blazes will both rage unchecked and become more prevalent after a long-term disaster.
A bucket brigade and fire wagon will be necessary to prevent homes,
barns, fences, etc. from going in flames on a regular basis. While being
a full-time firefighter might not be lucrative enough to be a true
post-SHTF career, since the service will be during emergencies only,
firefighters will be able to negotiate some type of regular compensation
from community members to keep them at the ready and working to reduce
potential fire hazards to prevent fires from happening as much as
possible.

Leathercrafters

Leather shoes, boots, belts, saddles, straps of all kinds, knife
sheaths, gun holsters, and a plethora of other items will need to be
made and repaired after an apocalypse. Learning how to remove and tan a
hide will become a necessary skill and one which can be repeatedly
bartered after the SHTF.

Seamstress

Few women routinely teach their daughters to sew anymore, a practice
which once one commonplace and a cherished tradition in American
families. Clothing, socks, and blankets will need to be made and
repaired after a long-term disaster. A seamstress could also aide
medical providers when the stitching of wounds becomes necessary.

Learn how to sew by hand and invest in an old-fashioned sewing
machine – complete with extra parts for repair purposes. Stock up on
parchment paper or cardboard for use in pattern making, chalk or
markers, also for pattern making purposes, and plenty of thread and
needles. Learning how to spin wool and make thread will be valuable
skills for not just your daily post-SHTF work but so you can offer
finished supplies for sale or barter as well.

Potter

Cookware and food storage containers will need to be replaced during
the disaster rebuilding stage. Not only will a survival potter need to
be able to work efficiently using a manual pottery wheel,
he or she must also know how to harvest their own clay from the ground
and built/use an off grid kiln for firing their creations.

Cooper

Barrels will be used far more frequently for storing and preserving
food and for the transportation of goods. The barrel-making process must
be learned using only off grid tools to be of any use after the SHTF.
Wood buckets will also be in high demand, especially for manually
extracting water from wells which no longer function after the power
grid fails.

Beekeepers

Bees pollinate 70 percent of what we eat and have been experiencing a
drastic population decline for the past decade. Once chemical
pesticides are no longer available the bee population should stabilize,
but there is no guarantee other environmental issues will not develop
and cause irreparable harm to the little pollinators. Farmers frequently
rent bee hives to help pollinate their crops, the need for that type of
service will not evaporate after the SHTF. Honey is not only a sweet
treat, but has a plethora of healing properties – making it a strong
bartering item after a doomsday disaster.

Gunsmith

An individual who can repair and manufacture guns will be in constant
high demand during the SHTF reconstruction era – and beyond. A gunsmith
should also learn how to reload ammo and make bullet casings to
increase his bartering ability and level of services.

There are many ways to make a living offering food preservation
services after the SHTF. Building both a smokehouse and icehouse to rent
space in is an excellent idea. Being able to cut and haul the ice from a
frozen pond will maintain an icehouse in many climates, if properly
constructed and insulated.
A pond need not be handy if you build and maintain the ice house now
by freezing water in 5-gallon buckets with secure fitting lids and layer
sawdust or a similar type of insulating material between the rows of
buckets stacked from the floor to the ceiling. Bartering the use of your
canning and dehydrating skills and supplies will enhance the post-SHTF
food preservation operation, as well.

Nursery

Preserving and growing your own seeds for sale, along with other
plants and gardening supplies is yet another post-apocalypse career
option. If you build a greenhouse, or several greenhouses and use
alternative or off the grid energy sources to heat them through the
winter, you can grow most crops year around in even northern climates
and cultivate dwarf fruit/citrus, and coffee trees, along with tobacco
plants, for barter also.

Wood Cutting – Sawyer

Being a provider of firewood and timber for furniture-making,
structure building, and fence posts will be a lot of hard work,
especially when using manual tools and horses/wagons to get the job
done, but the service will be an invaluable one post-SHTF and provider
the sawyer with plenty of bartering power.

Cobbler

The skills and supplies to make and repair shoes have almost been
lost entirely in our modern society. Once the SHTF, cheap imports from
China, or expensive ones from elsewhere, will no longer be available.
Gone will be the days when folks simply throw away a pair of shoes or
boots because they have a little wear – or even a gaping hole and the
sole falling off. A cobbler should expect a steady flow of work when
America being rebuilding after a doomsday disaster.

Rope Maker

Rope making is yet another lost skill. Ropes of all types and sizes
will be used to accomplish a host of daily tasks in an off the grid
society. The rope maker could also use his skills to teach knot making
or to travel to the farm, home, or business in the community and tie the
knot necessary to get the task accomplished.

Law Enforcement

The community will need defended perhaps from itself, but most
assuredly from outsiders. A sheriff, marshal, police chief, and a staff
of professional officers or citizens trained in self-defense and
firearms, will be essential to maintain stability and safety in the
months and years following a major disaster.

Tinker

Repairing tin ware and crafting household items, especially cookware
and utensils out of tin, and working with mechanics and engineers to
provide small parts for projects, make this old-fashioned job a viable
survival skills bartering options as well.

Basket Weaver

Many of us have decorative baskets sitting about somewhere in our
home, but the baskets needed to hold and transport supplies and for use
during off grid chores, will need to be of a farm more sturdy variety
post-SHTF. A basket maker or weaver might not have daily customers, but
will still be an essential worker in the new society.

Wheelwright

A person who has the skills to crafter wooden wheels that are bound
together with metal fittings made by the blacksmith will not be sitting
with idle hands after the SHTF. Wagons will be made and used in the
reconstructed America just as they once were relied upon during the
1800s up into the early 1900s in rural areas.

Brick Maker

A mason would have no materials to work with were it not or the brick
maker. This individual molds and fires sturdy bricks so they can be
used in the construction of structures, fireplaces, and other projects. A
mason who can make bricks as well as properly lay them doubles his
worth to the community and greatly enhances bartering opportunities.

Moonshiners

Stills can be used for a lot more than manufacturing spirits – many
of which hold medicinal properties. A moonshiner could barter not just
his corn whiskey abilities, but make stills which can be used to
filtrate water – a vital post-apocalypse skill!

Water Haulers

Community members who have ponds or creeks running through their
property, or live next to a lake, are sitting adjacent to perhaps the
most valuable commodity of all – water. Hauling the water to market or
down the streets of the town to barter for other essential or necessary
items will not leave the property owner wanting for anything after the
SHTF.

Teachers

Children will still need to learn to read and write after modern
society collapses. Formal education degrees to instruct children will no
longer be necessary after the SHTF – and the school day and school year
will likely be shortened.
Homeschooling preppers already know how to educate children of all
ages and should have a stockpile of learning materials on hand to do so.
The coursework in a post-SHTF world should include the basics and
essentials – something most public school have abandoned over the past
20 years. Science, reading, writing, math, and American history should
be focused upon, with a cross-over curriculum to maximize the time spent
in class. Hands-on science learning and vocational training should be
emphasized to ensure the students are truly prepared for the future they
will be facing.

Household Goods

A person who possesses both the skills and supplies to make body
soap, detergent, cleaning materials to eliminate germs, and alternative
fuel to power lamps and vehicles converted to biodiesel fuel will also
have a sustainable bartering skill.

Candle Maker

Candles will replace lightbulbs in our lives after the SHTF. A
beekeeper who can also make candles, or who work in conjunction with a
spouse on the post-disaster business will increase bartering power.
Stockpiling wicks is a great idea, but eventually those will run out, so
learn how to make your own!

Sanitation

Garbage and human waste running in the streets will breed deadly
disease quickly. Developing a garbage removal business and learning how
to make composting commodes will not only give you a marketable survival
skill, but help protect the lives of you loved ones and entire
community after society collapses.

Trading Post

The old fashioned general store will become the central hub for a
post SHTF community. Stockpiling bartering item now will establish your
inventory for after disaster strikes. The supplies will run out, unless
you are also capable of making replacements for at least some of the
items to restock the shelves. Bartering table space for other community
members to sell their wares and advertise their services on a bulletin
board should be a part of the trading post doomsday career choice plan
as well.
In addition to the brick-and-mortar general store, you could host a
weekly or monthly flea market/farm stand and barter space with those who
want to showcase their items and services to the community. Networking
with HAM radio operators to advertise the market and the service
providers may bring survivors from neighboring towns to browse and sell
as well. Morale booster events could become a part of the trading posts
offerings, residents will yearn for some levity and once the area is
safe enough, embrace the idea of a dance or similar event, especially
around the holidays.

27 Preparedness Tips for Beginners

ust getting into preparedness?Getting ready for the zombie apocalypse?Heard the Illuminati will be unleashing their full plan soon? Well – here are 27 tips that may just save you a bit of time, money, and frustration.

1. Don’t Freak Out – People have been predicting the end of the world for hundreds of years and unless you considered the canceled of the TV show Jericho in 2007 the end of days it still hasn’t happened yet. Chill out and enjoy life – and prep!2. Canned Goods Are Fine – You don’t have to spend a
ton of money on freeze dried food to be prepared. Stocking up on canned
goods and other commonly purchased foods at your local grocery store is
a great start.3. Sam’s Club – A membership to Sam’s Club can cut
food storage costs dramatically. Not only do they have large bags of
beans and rice super cheap – but they do offer some commercial food
storage products at heavily discounted rates(check out this link).4. Have a Balanced Approach – All the food in the
world won’t do any good if you have no water. Consider all the supply
categories you want to stock up on and do a little at a time within each
category.5. Prepping Isn’t All About Stuff – Supplies are
certainly an important part of prepping, however, your mindset and
skills are critical as well. Visualizing those events which you are
preparing and trying to experience them in your mind will help prepare
you mentally should something actually transpire. Skills such as
gardening, CPR, first aid, and canning can be learned and quite often
for free.6. Have an Emergency Fund – All the prep’s in the
world will not help much should your teenage son get arrested and need
to get bailed out of jail and you have no cash. Trust me – stuff happens
and having an emergency fund will reduce the stress dramatically.7. Shop the Sales: While you may feel a sense of
urgency you have the time to shop sales. At the grocery store wait for
items to go on sale before buying. Look for coupons to use and combine
them with sales to provide more buying power. Look for sales on all
survival products – not just food. Ammunition, guns, backpacks, and
numerous others items can be found discounted locally and online at such
sites as Amazon.8. Cover the Basics: Don’t make preparedness overly
complicated. Start off with thinking about going on a week long camping
trip. What would you need and make a list.9. Buy Fire Extinguishers: One of the most common
and unfortunate events that can occur is a house fire. They can get out
of hand in a hurry. Buy more than one fire extinguisher
and mount them on walls around the house. It is way too easy to forget
where one is when you need it so mount them in the kitchen, the garage,
and near the grill.10. Make a Basic Communications Plan: This involves
talking with members of the family and close friends. Come up with a
plan on what to do if there is no communication. Who will go and get the kids from school? If the area must be evacuated where is the meet-up point? 11. Get a Water Filter: Water is heavy and bulky
making it difficult to store in large quantities.Having a water filter
gives you an avenue to filter water sourced from questionable sources
such as streams, ponds, and even puddles. A Berkey Water Filter is a fantastic system and considered the Caddilac of water filters. A less expensive alternative would be to purchase a Sawyer Mini Water Filter and then add a Sawyer Bucket Kit.12. Re-Use Soda Bottles for Water: Like most
Americans, you likely throw away several 2-liter soda bottles every
week. Rinse them out(including the cap) and fill them with tap water.
Store them in a cool, dry place in case of an emergency. While many may
suggest to avoid drinking this water after years of storage – it would
be perfectly fine for washing and various sanitation duties.13. Freeze The Peanut Butter: When food is in short
supply calories are what counts. Peanut butter is a fantastic food in
that it is high in calories and protein. Typically peanut butter does
not store much past 16 months or so. The solution? Throw it in the
freezer! I have frozen and thawed dozens of jars of peanut butter with
no issues. Once thawed the shelf life clock starts over.14. Don’t Put All Your Preps In One Place: Think
back to the mentioning of a house fire. If all your supplies are stored
there and they are lost – you’re back to the starting line. Store
supplies at a neighbor, relative, at work, or in a climate controlled
storage space.15. Don’t Emphasize Firearms: It is easy –
especially for men – to allow prepping to take on an almost romantic
existence and buying guns to save the family and the damsel in distress
feeds that fantasy. While firearms are important, remember to keep a
balanced approach.16. Exercise: Look throughout history and almost any
disaster involves people working their butt off trying to deal with the
conditions and recover. Get out there and move and get in shape.17. Create a Vehicle Kit: There is a good chance
something could happen while you are away from home. Have a backpack
with some extra food, a few bottles of water, flashlight, batteries, and
other supplies to get you home in case walking is necessary. Consider
that roads may be backed up and blocked.18. Create a List: Going through and thinking about
all the needed supplies and things to do can be a bit overwhelming.
Writing it all down in list format will get it out of your head and on
paper. This is a common practice among the most successful people in the
world – making a list.19. Get a Good First Aid Kit: It doesn’t take a full on zombie apocalypse to get a “boo boo”. Having a good first aid kit around the house is just common sense.20. Get a Good Knife: A knife can be used in so many
situations for so many uses. Forget the hollow handle survival knives
from Harbor Freight or found on eBay. A solidly built, full-tang knife
such as a Ka-Bar USMC or a high-quality utility knife such as the Mora.21. Check Goodwill and Thrift Shops: A variety of survival supplies can be found at deep discounts at thrift stores. Tents, backpacks, and camp stoves are commonly found items.22. Start a Garden: Seeds are very inexpensive and
if you have any land at all putting forth some effort to turn the ground
is a start. For those planning for a long-term situation, gardening is
one way to provide food sustenance over the long haul. I highly
recommend the book The Backyard Homestead.23. Store Extra Gas: Pick up a few 5-gallon gas cans,
fill ’em, and store them AWAY from the house. Even as little as 10-15
gallons could make a big difference in any kind of fuel shortage.24. Refill Gas Tank More Often: Speaking of gas – don’t let your car drop below half a tank.25. Stay Motivated: Getting burned out on prepping
can happen. Life provides so many distractions prepping can fall to the
wayside. Reading fictional accounts of SHTF events can provide good
insight and peak interest. Two recommended series include American Exit Strategy and 299 Days.26. Two is One and One is None: This prepper
philosophy boils down to this – Have a back up for everything. Have one
can opener? Then have two. The point is if you only have one of
something with no backup and something happens to it your out of luck.27. Know Your Neighbors: The time to know your
neighbors – the good ones and the bad – is now. You do not need to tell
them about your interest in preparedness however you need to evaluate
which ones in a disaster could be called upon for help – and avoided.

Survival Stockpile: Top Foods To Preserve by Region

While it’s true that you can get just about anything to grow anywhere
in the right conditions, those conditions sometimes have to be
contrived to the point that it’s impossible for the average person to
pull off.
Fortunately, these types of crops are rare. My goal for this article is to make a list of top foods to preserve by region.
Know that with just a few exceptions, you can probably grow pretty
much whatever you want as long as you make allowances for growth periods
and temperatures.
Some things though, you’ll have to just have to break down and buy if you don’t live in say, a tropical area.
For instance, I live in Florida, so I can grow an orange, lemon,
lime, grapefruit or banana tree right in my backyard. Same thing with
pineapples and sugarcane. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelon grow well
here, too because of the soil and the practically year-round growing
season.
That’s not the case in most of the rest of the country, with the exception of California (and even they don’t have sugarcane).
On the other hand, if I want a really good apple or peach, I have to
pay $2.99/pound for them because Florida is just too hot, too sandy, and
pretty much too everything that an apple or peach tree won’t grow in.
Each region has foods that grow particularly well, as well as unique
needs that may need to be met in order to allow for long enough growth
cycles. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

10 Tips for Preppers with a Chronic Illness or Disability

These days, it’s increasingly common to have a chronic illness or disability, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be prepared.

We live in a toxic society and a land of chronic illness. Whether you
blame this on the environment, chemicals in everything we ingest and
inhale, or some other facet of American life, more and more people are
becoming seriously ill for a long period of time. As I wrote recently:

133 million Americans are dealing with a chronic illness
right now. That is a full 40% of the population of our country. By 2020,
that number is expected to skyrocket to 157 million. (source)
With numbers like that, some of these people are bound to be preppers.

People are dealing with:

Physical disabilities

Arthritis

Endometriosis

Asthma

Celiac Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Lupus

Lyme Disease

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Fibromyalgia

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Diabetes

Adrenal Fatigue

Mental health issues

Hypertension

Autoimmune disorders

Of course, this isn’t a complete list – it’s a drop in the bucket
when you look at the declining health of Americans. Add to this,
sometimes declining mobility is just a part of getting older.
With all of the talk in this niche about being fit, bugging out on
foot, camping, and surviving when you have to do everything by hand,
that has to be pretty daunting for anyone coping with a chronic illness
or disability.
As someone who has been dealing with a debilitating condition for several years, I can completely attest to how discouraging it feels when you think about all of the things that you can no longer do.
But here’s the thing that I learned:

While you may not be able to do everything you’d like to, you can still be an incredibly valuable asset to your community.

You can still manage disasters with aplomb. You can raise a garden,
preserve food, and learn skills. You just may have to do these things a
little differently than other folks who don’t have the same health
challenges.
It is a brutal reality that there are some situations in which those
who have infirmities truly won’t survive. But, in a situation so dire,
many people who are perfectly fit and healthy will also perish. You
can’t really sit around dwelling on this but you know that it is a basic
premise of survivalism. Not everyone is going to make it. There is an
element of luck involved. For example, if you are at Ground Zero of a
nuclear blast, it doesn’t matter if you went to the gym 6 days a week
for the last 10 years and ate a diet of rice bran, lean meat, and
broccoli. You’ll be toast.
But, most situations you’ll find yourself in are not nuclear Ground Zero situations.
One thing I have written about time and time again is that no one has
an absolutely perfect set-up. Just like no location is without its
drawbacks, no person is either.
Not everyone is going to be a warrior, a carpenter, an engineer, an
herbal expert, and a farmer. Not everyone has the capability to “live
off the land.” (Actually, a lot fewer of us have that capability than are willing to admit it, but I digress.)
No matter who you are, you have to work within your own limitations. You must improve what you can and improvise what you can’t.

10 Tips for Preppers with a Chronic Illness or Disability

The following tips are written with people who have a chronic illness
or disability in mind, but, really, they apply to everyone on some
sliding scale.

1) Be medically prepared.

If you are taking medication or require any type of special supplies
or equipment, you must be somewhat ahead on this. Even a low-level
crisis like a winter storm can turn into something major if you run out
of essential medical supplies. Ask your physician to prescribe your
medication several months at a time, and get your refills a month
earlier. (You can cite the fact that it’s way cheaper to buy it in
bigger quantities – and it is because you will save money on the
pharmacy’s fee this way.)
Not having essential medication and supplies on hand means that
someone you care about may have to put themselves at risk to acquire
more for you in a situation in which they’d be safer staying at home. It
means that you may require medical intervention when none is available.
It’s so much easier to just stock up ahead of time. I keep an entire
year’s worth of thyroid medication on hand for this very reason. When my
dosage was changed, I went ahead and continued to fill my previous
lower prescription to add to my stockpile.

2) Understand your condition.

Most people who deal with a chronic illness already know that you
have to become your own physician to some degree, particularly when it
is a lesser understood condition.
It is vital that you understand your condition. You need to know
danger signs to look out for, behavioral modifications that can help
you, ways to relieve symptoms without delving into your pharmaceuticals,
and dietary changes that can help control your symptoms. Likewise, you
need to understand the behaviors and activities that worsen your
condition and avoid them if possible. Stock up on the things that will
make you more comfortable, and keep reference information at hand in a
hard copy format.

3) Stick as close to your regular diet as you can.

When stocking up food for an emergency, you’ll want to focus on the
foods that make you feel better. If you control some of your symptoms
with diet, an emergency is not the time to go eating things that will
increase your inflammation or cause digestive issues.
If you generally eat a low carbohydrate diet to manage your
condition, for example, you’ll want to avoid the standard buckets of
rice and pasta based meals. They’ll make you sick in very short order.
On the other hand, if you’re a vegan, suddenly gnawing on jerky or
creamy soups won’t make you feel well either.
This really goes back to the prepper adage, “Eat what you store and store what you eat.”

4) Make accommodations for your condition.

Just because you can’t do things the way everyone else does them,
doesn’t mean you can’t do them. The following accommodations may work
for you, or they may get your creative juices flowing.

Have raised bed gardens built to a comfortable height.
Raised bed gardens reduce the need to kneel and bend. If you are in a
wheelchair, make sure there is enough space between the beds to maneuver
and that the surface is smooth and maintained.

Get a gardening stool with handles to provide support when getting up and down. (I have this one.) These can be used in many more places than just the garden.

When repackaging your food, use smaller containers. If you are having pain, mobility issues, or strength issues, use one-gallon buckets instead of 5-gallon buckets.

Do the same with stored water. You won’t want to try managing 5-gallon water jugs, so go with 1-gallon jugs instead.

If you can’t walk (or can’t walk long distances) figure out how you could make a trek if necessary. Can you ride a bicycle? Do you need a wheelchair? Would a walker or cane be helpful in those situations?

Use a “reacher grabber” to get things off of high shelves instead of climbing around on stools and chairs. You don’t want to risk getting injured on top of everything else.

Use aids like jar openers and bucket openers if you have reduced strength. Pick these things up now to make your life easier.

Make your home user-friendlier with grab handles and other mobility aids.

5) Get some exercise if you can.

With nearly all health conditions, you can perform some moderate
exercise, modified for your needs. In an emergency, the better your
fitness level is, the better off you’ll be. If you are able, walk daily.
If you can’t walk, perform some exercises at home that will increase
your strength, cardiovascular system, and mobility.

6) Have a plan.

Consider what happened to many wheelchair-bound and elderly people
when the levee broke after Hurricane Katrina – they drowned because they
did not have a plan in place. This didn’t have to happen.
If you have decreased mobility for any reason, now is the time to
make a plan. Bugging in should nearly always be your Plan A, but if the
situation necessitates a Plan B, how will you bug out? This is going to
be different for every single person, but it’s essential to figure it
out before an epic disaster gives you five minutes to be out the door.

7) Shop online.

Online shopping made the world a whole lot bigger for people with a chronic illness or disability.
If you have a mobility or fatigue issue, going out for a long day of
stock-up shopping probably sounds like torture to you. Start making your
purchases online and get them delivered to your door. You can often
find better deals on the web than you can in your own area, which makes
online shopping an even bigger win. But, even grocery stores and
pharmacies now deliver in many places, which can be a bonus when you are
making larger purchases because you don’t have to get them in from the
car.
You can weigh this against any concerns about OPSEC and privacy, but
so many people shop online these days that the mailman won’t think much
about a few Amazon packages here and there. Break up your purchases
instead of getting 50 boxes delivered in the span of a week and it will
not even be notable to your delivery person.

8) Focus on knowledge and skills.

So, maybe you won’t be out there working in a field after some
apocalyptic event but you can still be a valuable member of a group.
What kind of knowledge and skills do you have (or can you learn) that
will help others? Not only will this be helpful to your family, but
often can be bartered to others in exchange for the things you are not
able to do. Here are a few examples:

Herbalism

Foraging

Food preservation

Sewing/Mending

Medical knowledge – get as much training as possible

Repairing

Old-fashioned skills – how did people complete everyday tasks before
the days of convenience and electricity? Your knowledge and abilities
in this area can be invaluable.

9) Find a community.

This isn’t always easy or possible, but if you can at all, find a
like-minded community of people who are on the same page with you. Maybe
this will be your family or it could be friends and neighbors.
Regardless, it’s hard to survive alone, even if you are in the best of
health. If you have limitations, the aid of other people will be
essential. Just make sure you have something to offer them in return,
whether it’s supplies or knowledge.

10) Be prepared to protect yourself.

As horrible as this sounds, some people will see your disability or
frail health and consider you an easy target. We can’t always wait for
911 to rescue us, so it’s imperative that you be able to rescue
yourself.
In my opinion, a firearm is the best way to do this. If you don’t
know how to shoot, find a gun range that is accessible for you and work
with an instructor who can help you make accommodations for your
disability or lack of strength. A good instructor can help you to
choose a firearm that will work best with your limitations. Remember,
this is a perishable skill that you must continue to practice.
If someone sees you as a target, you will have no option but to use greater force to protect yourself.

You can still be prepared, regardless of a chronic illness or disability.

Of course, the list above is not comprehensive and will not be
applicable in all situations. But the key is to improve your chances in
every way possible. Regardless of your condition, you can still be a
benefit to your family or preparedness group.
You have to think ahead and figure out how to work around your
limitations. But, if you are tough enough to survive a chronic illness
or a disability, you’ve got this.

60 Incredible Gardening Hacks

Nothing to see here, just lots of gardening tips, tricks, secrets and hacks!

1. Honey for rooting slips

Instead of buying hormone rooting powder use honey – when you cut your slip for planting, smear some honey
on it. It will significantly increase the success rate of slips and
give them a measure of protection from soil borne attacks. Just remember
to keep all slips moist to encourage roots to form.

2. Never buy seed trays again

Save supermarket fruit and vegetable containers- the clear plastic is
useful for starting seeds or small cuttings like thyme or rosemary
before planting them out.

3. Sowing seeds with a rake

To get even spacing use a metal garden rake
– push wine corks onto the ends of the tines and use this to make holes
in the ground for your seeds. Alternatively, take a scrap piece of
wood, a wooden dowel cut into 3-inch (7cm) lengths – drill holes into
the wood the size of the dowel stick so it fits snugly at even intervals
then glue dowel sticks into place.
Press this into the ground for even spacing – the harder you press the deeper the seed hole.

4. Never buy lavender plants again

Before you lavender bushes start dying off take lots of cuttings,
smear with honey and root in small pots or a large tray to get new
plants started to replace the bushes as they die off.

5. Egg cartons for starting seeds

Put the soil into each cardboard carton cup and plant one seed per
cup. Stand on a tray and keep moist from the top. When you are ready to
plant, cut the compartments apart and plant them complete in the ground.
There will be no transplant shock for the seedlings and the cardboard
will soon dissolve and enrich the soil.

6. Soak vegetable seed before planting

Make up a mild seaweed fertilizer solution and soak vegetable seed in
it for a couple of hours while you prepare the beds for planting. It
helps produce vigorous seedlings.

7. Crush cilantro seeds to encourage germination

Cilantro
(coriander) seeds are hard little balls with a fibrous husk –crushing
them underfoot helps before planting as often the seed battles to break
through the hard husk – otherwise soak them for a day in water or the
seaweed solution mentioned above.

8. Transplant on a cloudy day

Choose to transplant seedlings on a cloudy day – often the fierce
midday sun can be too much for seedlings – this way they have at least
have 24 hours to get established.

9. Propagating African Violets (saintpaulia)

Forget the tin foil over a glass and the leaf poking through – simply
put your fresh cut leaves from your African violets into a good loamy
soil in pots. Use a stick to poke a hole in the soil and then gently
firm the soil around the leaf.
Stand the pots in a drip tray and make sure the drip tray is never
without water – the soil will draw the moisture up. Just make sure the
leaves are planted upright and do not touch the sides of the pot. Keep
in a warm place that does not have direct sunlight but plenty of light
and in a couple of months you’ll have new baby plants. Do not use honey
or any rooting powder – the leaf needs is to be handled as little as
possible. Never ever, water the leaves of the African violets unless you
have a very fine misting system – water on the leaves spells crown rot.

10. Toilet paper seed tape

If you feel thinning out seedlings is wasteful make your own seed
tape – use a two ply toilet paper, make a paste using a tablespoon of
flour mixed with enough water to create a paste that’s of medium
consistency. Dab it on at the spacing interval suggested on the seed
packet – and place your seeds – any extras that fall on the spaces
between the dots of paste won’t adhere and can be used on the next
piece. Keep your toilet paper piece no more than 3 feet long so they are
easy to work with. Allow to dry, roll up and plant later, or plant
immediately.

11. Cinnamon for seedlings

Shake ground cinnamon around seedlings to repel pests. It has anti-fungal properties.

12. Grow new plants from your purchased produce

Unless the plant has been genetically modified – and one shouldn’t be
buying GM food anyway – the seeds when saved can be planted. Cut open
chilies and save the seeds, the same with green peppers. Save a few
fresh peas and beans to replant. Tomato gone squishy? Save the seeds and
plant them. Buying the produce – which you can eat and get seeds from
too, works out cheaper than buying packets of seed.

13. Allow plants to go to seed and reap the benefits

Let lettuce, cilantro and other vegetables go to seed so that you can
harvest the seed and plant again for the next year. The beauty with
this is that the plants have got used to the environment and nutrients
in the soil in which they are growing so the seeds will germinate more
readily than seeds introduced from somewhere else.

14. Easily grow avocados from seed.

Don’t throw away the large seed from an avocado. Throw them down
into a damp patch – they don’t need to be covered and as long as they
soil is always moist they will soon be sprouting. Yes, they take 10
years to bear fruit but as the saying goes about planting trees the best
time was 200 years ago and the second best time is now.

15. Ginger

When you buy ginger root at the greengrocer, reserve three pieces and
plant them in a large pot with a good potting mix. Once the ginger has
grown well you can dig out a bit of root when you need it and leave the
plants to continue growing, meaning you probably won’t be needing to go
to the greengrocer for ginger again.

16. One pineapple equals one plant

When you have fresh pineapples to eat cut the top off with sufficient
flesh attached and plant in sandy soil that is kept moist – the tops
will grow and produce plants that will give you plenty of pineapples.

17 Passion fruit vines from seed

Save and plant the seed from a fresh passion fruit. Ensure it is kept
moist and soon vines will be growing – transplant carefully to a spot
where they can ramble up a tree or have a trellis that has sufficient
support. Soon you’ll have your own passion fruit to add to desserts.

Water

18. DIY watering can

You don’t need to buy a watering can. Repurpose a plastic milk
container that comes with a handle. Poke holes with a large hot needle
in the plastic lid. Voila – a watering can. Place one at each tap point
in the garden so you don’t have to walk around looking for a watering
can. If you want to control the spray then place the cone part cut from
of a plastic soda bottle over the neck before screwing on the lid – then
you have more control when watering patio and houseplants.

19. Automatically water plants

Keep those used plastic water bottles out of the landfill and in your
garden. Dig a hole and plant a water bottle that has been poked with
holes on the sides and bottom next to a plant – fill with water so it
can slowly release water to the plant through the holes.

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Archbishop Lefebvre

“Well, we are not of this religion. We do not accept this new religion. We are of the religion of all time; we are of the Catholic religion. We are not of this 'universal religion' as they call it today-this is not the Catholic religion any more. We are not of this Liberal, Modernist religion which has its own worship, its own priests, its own faith, its own catechisms, its own Bible, the 'ecumenical Bible'-these things we do not accept."

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The Real 3rd Secret of Fatima

Inlcudes Vatican II and the soon Apostate Church..."...because Fatima is a very apocalyptic message. It says that no matter what happens there are going to be terrible wars, there are going to be diseases, whole nations are going to be wiped out, there are going to be 3 days darkness, there are going to be epidemics that will wipe out whole nations overnight, parts of the earth will be washed away at sea and violent tornadoes and storms. It's not a nice message at all." Fr Malachi Martin

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Eric Gajewski, Founder of DefeatModernism(formerly known as Defeat the Heresies)

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Pope XII: “Suicide Of Altering the Faith In Her Liturgy…..”

"I am worried by the Blessed Virgin's messages to Lucy of Fatima. This persistence of Mary about the dangers which menace the Church is a divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith, in Her liturgy, Her theology and Her soul. … I hear all around me innovators who wish to dismantle the Sacred Chapel, destroy the universal flame of the Church, reject Her ornaments and make Her feel remorse for Her historical past."A day will come when the civilized world will deny its God, when the Church will doubt as Peter doubted. She will be tempted to believe that man has become God. In our churches, Christians will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaits them. Like Mary Magdalene, weeping before the empty tomb, they will ask, 'Where have they taken Him?'"

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St. Bernard:

Go forth confidently then, you knights, and repel the foes of the cross of Christ with a stalwart heart. Know that neither death nor life can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ, and in every peril repeat, "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." What a glory to return in victory from such a battle! How blessed to die there as a martyr! Rejoice, brave athlete, if you live and conquer in the Lord; but glory and exult even more if you die and join your Lord. Life indeed is a fruitful thing and victory is glorious, but a holy death is more important than either. If they are blessed who die in the Lord, how much more are they who die for the Lord!

How secure, I say, is life when death is anticipated without fear; or rather when it is desired with feeling and embraced with reverence! How holy and secure this knighthood and how entirely free of the double risk run by those men who fight not for Christ! Whenever you go forth, O worldly warrior, you must fear lest the bodily death of your foe should mean your own spiritual death, or lest perhaps your body and soul together should be slain by him.

Indeed, danger or victory for a Christian depends on the dispositions of his heart and not on the fortunes of war. If he fights for a good reason, the issue of his fight can never be evil; and likewise the results can never be considered good if the reason were evil and the intentions perverse. If you happen to be killed while you are seeking only to kill another, you die a murderer. If you succeed, and by your will to overcome and to conquer you perchance kill a man, you live a murderer. Now it will not do to be a murderer, living or dead, victorious or vanquished. What an unhappy victory--to have conquered a man while yielding to vice, and to indulge in an empty glory at his fall when wrath and pride have gotten the better of you!

But what of those who kill neither in the heat of revenge nor in the swelling of pride, but simply in order to save themselves? Even this sort of victory I would not call good, since bodily death is really a lesser evil than spiritual death. The soul need not die when the body does. No, it is the soul which sins that shall die.

The knight of Christ, I say, may strike with confidence and die yet more confidently, for he serves Christ when he strikes, and serves himself when he falls. Neither does he bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister, for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of the good. If he kills an evildoer, he is not a mankiller, but, if I may so put it, a killer of evil. He is evidently the avenger of Christ towards evildoers and he is rightly considered a defender of Christians. Should he be killed himself, we know that he has not perished, but has come safely into port.

Once he finds himself in the thick of battle, this knight sets aside his previous gentleness, as if to say, "Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord; am I not disgusted with your enemies?" These men at once fall violently upon the foe, regarding them as so many sheep. No matter how outnumbered they are, they never regard these as fierce barbarians or as awe-inspiring hordes. Nor do they presume on their own strength, but trust in the Lord of armies to grant them the victory.

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Saint Athanasius

"May God console you! ... What saddens you ... is the fact that others have occupied the churches by violence, while during this time you are on the outside. It is a fact that they have the premises – but you have the Apostolic Faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true Faith. You remain outside the places of worship, but the Faith dwells within you. Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the Faith?The true Faith, obviously. Who has lost and who has won in the struggle – the one who keeps the premises or the one who keeps the Faith? True, the premises are good when the Apostolic Faith is preached there; they are holy if everything takes place there in a holy way ..."You are the ones who are happy; you who remain within the Church by your Faith, who hold firmly to the foundations of the Faith which has come down to you from Apostolic Tradition. And if an execrable jealousy has tried to shake it on a number of occasions, it has not succeeded. They are the ones who have broken away from it in the present crisis. No one, ever, will prevail against your Faith, beloved Brothers. And we believe that God will give us our churches back some day. "Thus, the more violently they try to occupy the places of worship, the more they separate themselves from the Church. They claim that they represent the Church; but in reality, they are the ones who are expelling themselves from it and going astray. Even if Catholics faithful to Tradition are reduced to a handful, they are the ones who are the true Church of Jesus Christ."